Trudeau says antiviral treatment won’t make up for low vaccination rate among children – CBC
PM hails approval of Pfizer’s antiviral but warns it’s no substitute for the vaccine
Jan 19, 2022
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today welcomed Health Canada’s approval of an antiviral treatment that could keep high-risk COVID-19 patients out of hospital — while also warning that the Pfizer therapeutic is no substitute for vaccination.
Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Trudeau said Pfizer’s Paxlovid — which will be available to a limited number of adults starting this week and next — is a “useful tool in the toolkit” but it won’t make up for the sagging vaccination rate among children.
To start, Paxlovid will be available only to adults 18 years and older, meaning the best line of defence for kids is still vaccination, he said.
Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11 in November but vaccine coverage in this cohort has fallen behind coverage rates for other demographic groups.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-concerned-low-vaccination-rates-kids-1.6320500
